In the German Patent Application P 43 28 674.7, a lining panel is described, which not only offers protection against direct solar radiation and which allows good passage of air, but also has a simple and light construction whilst having a high bending strength, to resist uplift forces that occur when driving with the sliding roof open. To attain these properties, this lining panel has a stiff lining frame, which determines its external form and dimensions, and which is covered with a flexible, air-permeable sheet material.
The lining panel according to the above German Patent Application fulfils all the functional requirements regarding solar protection, air permeability, low weight, simple construction and bending stiffness, but its elements and surfaces that are visible from the vehicle interior can be considered annoying on account of the contrast to the fixed vehicle roof liner. It has been proposed in the German Patent Application to adapt the lower face of the flexible, air-permeable sheet material in its structure and/or colouring to the vehicle interior decoration, but nevertheless the lining panel, on account of the special structure of the covering sheet material that allows air permeability and of the lining frame visible from the vehicle interior, stands out from the remainder of the roof liner when the lining panel is closed.